PS Audio NuWave Phono Converter

The NuWave Phono Converter is the First-of-Its-Kind All-Analog Class-A Phonostage and Analog-to-Digital Converter in One Box – Plus, It's Made in the USA

The Great Sounding Phono preamp Allows You To Play Your Records Back with Incredible Warmth and Musicality

Plus Transfer the Exact Sound of Your Analog Front-End to Digital At Any Resolution up to DSD – Take Your Albums with You Wherever You Go

The NuWave Phono Converter is a new category of component, one that combines a state-of-the-art phono preamplifier and an advanced Analog-to-Digital converter (PCM or DSD) together in one chassis.

Take the best sounding all-analog moving-magnet/moving coil phono preamp PS Audio has ever designed, combine it with a state-of-the-art Analog-to-Digital Converter, place it all in a gorgeous chassis, and then build it in Boulder, Colorado. Add in a massive power supply, provide fully-balanced Class-A analog outputs, plus include multiple digital outputs that include both DSD and PCM, and you have the NuWave Phono Converter or NPC for short.

This will be a lifesaver for both LP lovers and those of us who want to take the sound of our turntables with us. Just input any analog source – your turntable, tape deck, tuner, or even an iPod - directly to a DAC, computer or preamplifier. Once connected, you will be able to playback your vinyl though your system and/or record your vinyl discs (or any analog source) directly into your computer.

By connecting the NuWave Phono Converter to your computer, you can rip (record) content up to 24bit/192k PCM or double DSD. This process utilizes PS Audio's proprietary Digital Lens technology to remove any jitter from the digital signal. Now it’s simple to digitize your entire record collection.

The NuWave Phono Converter will produce either high-res PCM or DSD from its digital outputs and incredible-sounding fully-balanced analog from its single-ended or balanced (RCA or XLR) audio outputs.

Both Analog and Digital - The Parallel Path
The heart of the NuWave Phono Converter’s design philosophy is the ability to run parallel and separate analog and digital paths, allowing each to be fully optimized for the best performance. And more importantly, truly faithful to the original recording and mastering process.

Vinyl mastering is handled through filters and reverse RIAA equalization is kept strictly in the analog domain from the input to the output of the cutting lathe. To help faithfully reproduce this delicate non-digital signal path, an analog playback chain is the preferred reproduction method – which is why the NPC is 100% ANALOG through its phonostage chain.
Once the playback and EQ requirements of the vinyl path have been properly amplified, the audio signal is then converted to digital through a state-of-the-art Analog-to-Digital Converter (A2D Converter).

Using the NuWave Phono Converter
The NuWave Phono Converter can be used as a standalone A2D converter utilizing the analog input. It is an incredible digital-output phono preamplifier which could feed a DAC or computer. And it’s the finest, pure-analog phono preamplifier PS Audio has ever designed. Simultaneous analog and digital outputs are available on the NuWave Phono Converter. Connections to a preamplifier, DAC, audio/video system, or computer are simple and direct.

Using appropriate software on a PC, NuWave Phono Converter owners can RIP their entire vinyl collections (or any analog sources) to their computers at 24bit/192k PCM or up to double DSD rate.

Connecting to Your Computer
Users can record either high-res PCM or DSD through either Mac or Windows machines using an off-the-shelf program such as Audacity. Because DSD is sent using DoP (DSD over PCM), Audacity or other recording programs handle the files as if they were standard digital audio .WAV files. DoP does not alter the DSD data; instead it cuts it up into acceptable packets that look like PCM but are DSD files. The pure DSD stream is maintained perfectly for future playback.

Recorded files play directly on your computer using a program like Foobar for Windows OS and Pure Music for the Mac operating system. Users can also stream these files directly to a DAC via USB from the computer or Ethernet with an appropriate server.

Try It for Yourself
The PS Audio NuWave Phono Converter (NPS) is a new product category. On one hand, it’s a simple, all-analog phonostage which sounds fantastic. It should be considered a great value at this price even without the A2D feature set! But in this digital world, everyone wants the ability to digitize their analog sources, and have the ability to carry the exact sound of their analog set-up anywhere. We encourage you to audition this state-of-the-art audio component at home and run it through its paces. If you are not 100% satisfied with this is revolutionary product, we’ll take it back.

PS Audio NuWave Phono Converter: If It's Analog, the NPC Has You Covered

Play All Your LPs with this Incredible, Fully-Adjustable Phonostage

Transfer Your LPs into the Digital Domain - The PS Audio NuWave Phono Converter is the Best Product of Its Kind

Revolutionary. That's what the new PS Audio NuWave Phono converter was designed to be. Take the best all-analog phono preamplifier PS Audio has ever designed, combine it with a state-of-the-art Analog-to-Digital Converter, place it all in a gorgeous chassis, add a massive power supply, provide fully balanced class A analog outputs as well as multiple digital outputs that include both DSD and PCM and you get the ,strong>PS Audio NuWave Phono Converter or NPC for short.
PS Audio has been building high-end audio phono preamplifiers since 1974 and during that time they have come a long way – they certainly know how to make a great performing and sounding device. And, since 1985, they have been building great sounding high-end digital audio products as well – in fact their current crop of NuWave and PerfectWave digital audio products are amongst the most respected products in the audio world.

And it is with this background of design experience and innovation that PS Audio addresses today's need for a no-compromise device that bridges the gap between the very best analog and digital audio systems – and that product is PS Audio NuWave Phono Converter.

The NPC Analog System
The NPC can be used as a standalone A2D converter, all-analog phono preamplifier or both. Connections to a preamplifier, DAC, or computer are simple and direct.

Using appropriate software on a PC, NPC owners can RIP their entire vinyl collections to their computers at 24bit/192k PCM or DSD and stream the high-resolution files to their loudspeakers at the touch of a button.
Re-clocked 24bit/192k as well as 64x and 128x DSD can be sent over S/PDIF through either the USB or coaxial output and both direct DSD and PCM streams are available through the I2S output. Use of the DoP protocols are standard on the NPC.

Vinyl and All-Analog High-End
The future of high-end audio isn't limited to just digital audio, DACs, streaming and computers. Analog sources such as tuners, docks and turntables will continue to play major roles in the high-end home audio systems. In fact, with the strong resurgence of vinyl, turntables and vinyl LP's will continue to play major roles in tomorrow's high-end audio systems.
The NPC is the perfect product to bridge the divide between analog and digital. With the NPC it is now possible to keep a high-end DAC as the heart of your system and play vinyl as well as any analog source without compromise. Or, if you prefer, you can place the NPC in an all-analog system and use its digital feature set just to record and catalog your vinyl. The NPC is right at home in either setup, analog or digital. And the NPC is ready for the future with a high resolution DSD, PCM and analog engines built in.

Fully Separate Analog/Digital Signal Paths
Unique to the NPC is our design philosophy of isolating and separating the analog and digital paths within the device. This means that the phono preamplifier built into the NPC is a fully-balanced, Class-A phono stage from input to output.
The general trend in A2D converter-based phono preamplifiers tends to be a hybrid of an input analog step-up stage feeding an internal A2D converter where the RIAA EQ curve (required for vinyl) filtering and further amplification are all handled in the digital domain. Our philosophy was quite the opposite: keep the vinyl amplification chain, including the RIAA curve, completely analog from input to output, the way LP's were intended to be reproduced.
Once we have a proper analog output we then channel that high level signal to our state-of-the-art A2D converter for digital processing. This ensures that vinyl amplification, EQ and filtering are all handled as they were designed to be and the resulting sound is sweet, open without any digital artifacts or issues to contend with.

High Resolution Re-clocked PCM and DSD
If you choose the digital path for your analog inputs, it is not only possible, but actually amazingly simply to play your vinyl LP's (and analog sources of all kinds) directly through your system's DAC. For the first time, a high-end turntable or tuner setup is just another input on your Digital-to-Analog Converter and you'll be amazed at how great this sounds. Playing vinyl on your turntable, will sound glorious.

You can choose any sample rate from 44.1kHz all the way up to 192kHz and select any bit depth from 16 to 24 bits for playback (or recording) using standard digital audio PCM. You can also choose DSD (Direct Stream Digital), which is a more analog-like digital audio format used on SACD recordings. Here you can choose from standard or double rate DSD and play directly into any DSD capable DAC or through USB into a computer for recording purposes.

Plenty of Gain
The analog phono preamplifier PS Audio has designed in the NPC is the finest they have ever built in their 40+ years. Phono cartridges the NPC will work with range from a high output moving magnet or ceramic with up to 220mv output, to a delicate low output moving coil cartridge with as low as 0.3mv out. This is an extremely useful range of outputs that can be selected from the front panel display in 3dB increments. Full resistive cartridge loading options are available on the rear panel.
Passive RIAA Curve

PS Audio's design philosophy with respect to the RIAA curve found in all phono preamplifiers is unwaveringly in favor of a passive approach to ensure the gain product is even at all frequencies. Most competitive designs rely on feedback-based RIAA curves but these have the disadvantage of uneven gain produced throughout the audible spectrum, and the end result is a different sonic character for all frequency bands – a problem solved with the NPC's use of Passive EQ. Using PS Audio's customized passive network (sandwiched between two linear gain stages) provides EQ accuracy of 1/10th of a dB from 20Hz to 20kHz.

Differential, Discrete and FET
The analog phono preamplifier's two main gain stages consist of a differential low-noise preamplifier input stage coupled through the passive RIAA into a discrete Class-A FET output stage.

The phono preamplifier's input differential gain stage is a beautifully-designed programmable low-noise gain stage from THAT corporation. THAT 1583 is a major breakthrough in performance with 60dB of programmable gain and noise specified at an incredibly low 1.9nV/√Hz and wide bandwidth to well over 1mHz. This stage forms the interface gain device between the phono cartridge and the NPC and its output feeds our passive RIAA curve.

Following the EQ stage is a new Class-A all FET discrete gain block PS Audio has been working on for several years. This stage features a combination of JFET and MOSFET devices in a low open-loop design that brings a rich, luscious and open signal path for music from your vinyl discs.

This is truly one of the finest gain stages PS Engineering has produced in over 40 years of designing such stages and presents an open, spacious and effortless presentation of the music.

The Parallel Digital Path
The heart of the NPC's design philosophy is running parallel and separate analog and digital paths, allowing each to be fully optimized for best performance. Certainly there is some merit to running all the phono amplification and EQ functions in the digital domain, as some manufacturer's design approach dictates, but we have found greater success keeping the two separate and faithful to the original recording and mastering process.

Vinyl mastering is handled through filters and reverse RIAA EQ kept strictly in the analog domain from the input to the final output of the cutting lathe. To help faithfully reproduce this delicate analog path when we playback our records, PS Engineering feels strongly that an analog playback chain is the proper path to follow – which is why the NPC is 100% analog through the phono chain.

Once the playback and EQ requirements of the vinyl path have been properly amplified, it is now a relatively straightforward process to quantize (make digital) the output through a state-of-the-art Analog-to-Digital Converter (A2D Converter).

The All-Important A2D Converter
To handle the all-important duties of converting the final analog output to digital audio for playback on your DAC or recording to your computer, PS Audio chose an excellent product from Burr Brown, the PCM4222. This high-performance A2D converter features dynamic range, low noise and distortion characteristics that exceed 120dB.

The device allows us to provide the user with front panel controls that select linear PCM or DSD formats. For PCM the NPC gives a full 24bit/192kHz output while the DSD option handles 64x or double DSD at 128x oversampled rates. We then take the output of the PCM4222 and run it through PS Audio's own Digital Lens re-clocking solution to make sure the clock that drives the A2D is isolated from the clock that outputs the actual data. This removes any chance of added jitter to the digital audio signal.

Both PCM and DSD can be sent over S/PDIF, I2S, or USB using the DoP (DSD Over PCM) protocols that are standard in the industry. S/PDIF and I2S are used to feed any DAC you might have regardless of its input capabilities. If you have an older DAC that only handles, perhaps, 24/96 PCM, it's no problem you simply set the front panel of the NPC to match your DAC's limitations or potential. If your DAC accepts DSD, that will travel properly over the S/PDIF format and work seamlessly.
USB can be used not to feed your DAC, but rather to feed your computer.

Feeding Your Computer
If you wish to record analog sources from the NPC such as a, turntable, tuner, microphone or recording console output, it is a fairly easy and straightforward process. Simply connect through USB and our re-clocked output will connect right up to your computer. You can record either DSD or PCM through either Mac or Windows machines using an off-the-shelf program such as Audacity. Because DSD is sent using what is known as DoP, Audacity or other recording programs handle the files as if they were standard digital audio WAV files. DoP does not alter the DSD data in any way other than cutting it up into acceptable packets that look like PCM, but of course are not. The pure DSD stream is maintained perfectly for future playback.

When it comes time to playing back your recorded files, you can use any number of DACs that can stream from a computer or you can play the files directly on your computer using a program like Foobar for Windows OS and Pure Music for the Mac operating system.

This setup allow you to stream either DSD or PCM directly to your DAC or to your computer for storage. It's easy, simple and rewarding to begin to build a digital audio library of all your analog based source material with the NPC.

The Bottom Line
Whether you want to play the best sounding vinyl through your preamplifier (audio system) or DAC, or if you wish to start building a library of analog sources in your computer, then the PS Audio NuWave Phono Converter is exactly what you want.
Two separate state-of-the art audio paths in one chassis with a massive power supply to run both, sums up the physical aspects of the NPC, but it doesn't do justice to what you can expect from this product. The NPC give listeners an open, effortless and dynamic presentation to any musical source connected to it. Its internal A2D Converter is so close to the original source as to be virtually indistinguishable from the original.

Solid engineering, great features and an easy to use front panel interface make the NPC a must-have product for those of us interested in listening and recording analog sources through our high end audio systems.

At Music Direct, we offer our customers a 60-Day Money Back Guarantee on components, hardware and audio accessories. This allows you time to ensure you made the right choice. If you are not satisfied with your purchase, contact our customer service department or your audio consult directly to arrange for a return.

This guarantee is not applicable on all Fluids, Phono Cartridges, and some special order merchandise.